How To Make Sofrito, The DIY Condiment

It’s morning in the American
supermarket. As the Sriracha rooster crows, Jemima, a working
mother, drops the kids off at Miss Butterworth’s daycare.
Liquid-Plumr (call him Joe) dreams of a better life and lower
taxes, and it’s all lion dances and bar mitzvahs in the ethnic
aisle with Messieurs La Choy and Manischewitz. Corporations are
people, too, but it’s worthwhile to keep in mind that even the most
storied and iconic brand sauces and flavor bases started out as
somebody’s homemade recipe. So let’s come home to Sofrito, the
condiment you can make yourself.

The word “sofrito” derives from the Catalan verb “sofrefir”—to
fry lightly. A sofrito is generally understood as an combination of
herbs and aromatic vegetables (and sometimes spices) lightly
sauteed in oil or fat to provide a flavor foundation for multiple
dishes, much like the French mirepoix or
Cajun holy
trinity. But unlike those, it’s a culinary concept that defines
itself more by a technique and a flavor profile than by any
specific ingredients.

As a result, sofrito casts a rather enormous net upon the
culinary universe. There are Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and
Filipino versions that vary quite a bit. For the purposes of this
column, I’m concentrating on Latino-Caribbean sofrito, a staple of
Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican and Yucatecan cuisines. You’ve
probably tasted it doing the heavy lifting in dishes like arroz con
pollo, poc-chuc, and Picadillo. But it can certainly provide a
solid foundation for all kinds of cuisine, Latin or otherwise. It’s
great in soup, beans, stews, and chili—or even atop scrambled eggs
or steaks or chops. Check out my own personal sofrito formulation
below, along with some recipes that I hope illustrate its
versatility and heft.

What does sofrito bring to the party? It imparts depth and
reach; like the undertow beneath the flavor wave. It makes a dish
taste substantial, like somebody’s mother made it.

Now, you purists out there will say that sofrito is not,
according to Hoyle, a condiment, but more precisely a technique or
a method. This is true. In a sense, when I make a big batch of this
stuff and put it in a jar that goes in the fridge, or freeze it
into little green cubes to use three months from now, I’m storing a
condiment that becomes sofrito only at the moment it hits
hot oil. Semantics aside, it’s useful to have in the kitchen.

Also, you can actually find what looks like a quality
jarred sofrito in stores or online. Chulita’s
Famous is all natural and MSG-free and looks quite promising.
But first, try out my recipe below, because there aren’t many
top-notch do-it-yourself condiments out there. And, let’s face it,
as much as you and I might want to stick it to the corporate
condiment man, we can’t make Heinz ketchup at home. With sofrito,
yes we can!

Put all ingredients in bowl of food processor. Run until pesto
consistency is achieved, stopping once or twice to scrape down
sides of bowl. Fill two ice cube trays with sofrito and freeze for
future use. Each cube represents about a fluid ounce (1/8 cup) of
sofrito. Put remainder in a jar for immediate use. Sofrito will
keep fresh for just under two weeks in the refrigerator.

Place all ingredients except for olive oil in bowl of food
processor. Run until smooth, adding 2 tbsp. olive oil from chute
while running. Chill in refrigerator for a couple of hours, a
little less if using frozen sofrito cubes. Drizzle remaining oil
over individual servings.

Heat olive oil in a 3-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. When
oil is shimmering, add onion, carrots and celery to pan. Saute for
a few minutes, until slightly soft. Stir in chili powder and
garlic, continue to saute for a minute or so. Add sofrito and bay
leaves to pan, stirring to incorporate; saute 2 minutes more. Add
chicken stock and bring up to a boil. Add cheese rind, and lower
heat to low. Simmer partially covered for 30 minutes.

* I know this sounds crazy, but I actually strain-and-save
any extra rendered beef or bacon fat in the freezer. If you don’t
have any on hand, just fry up about a half-pound of bacon (that you
can use later) or buy the smallest amount of lard you can
find.

In a Dutch oven or pressure cooker, over medium-high heat,
render tallow/grease. When fat is hot, brown steak pieces in
batches, about 3 minutes on the first side, about 2 on the second;
setting browned pieces aside on a plate.

While steak is browning, place chicken stock in a microwave-safe
bowl or glass measuring cup; heat on high power in microwave for
two minutes or so, or until stock is about the temperature of very
hot tea. Dissolve beef base in hot chicken stock.

Now back to the pot. When all the beef has been browned and, add
pepper and onion to pot and saute for about 3 minutes or until
softened. Add oregano, cumin, thyme, achiote paste, and sofrito,
stirring well to combine. Saute for two additional minutes. Now add
garlic, bay leaves, paprika, garlic, and tomato paste. Stir well
and continue to apply heat for another minute or two. Add white
wine, stirring continually and scraping bottom of pan. After about
a minute, stir in diced tomatoes and stock. Now reintroduce beef to
the pot, along with whatever juices have collected on the plate.
Cover and bring pot up to a boil. If using pressure cooker, seal
cooker and set at high-pressure.

When pot has come to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and
simmer covered for about 2 ½ hours. Alternately, when pressure
cooker has achieved high pressure, reduce heat to medium-low and
allow to cook under pressure for 50 minutes

Remove fork-tender beef from Dutch oven or pressure cooker and
place on a large platter or a cutting board. Working with a fork in
each hand, shred beef thoroughly. Return shredded beef to pot along
with olives, capers and vinegar. Bring to a boil and simmer
uncovered for another 20 minutes. Stir in chopped cilantro leaves,
and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish and serve with rice.

In a large cast-iron skillet over medium to medium low heat,
slowly render and brown bacon, stirring occasionally. While bacon
cooks, rinse rice thoroughly and, using a strainer, drain rice even
more thoroughly. Set aside.

When bacon has browned, raise heat to medium-high and add onion,
bell pepper, cumin, sofrito, bay leaf and turmeric. Saute mixture
for about a minute, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add rice and
saute for about another minute. Transfer contents of skillet to a
rice cooker or a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Add saffron,
chicken stock, and gandules. Salt to taste and cook just as you
would a regular pot of rice.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 6-inch souffle dish. Heat
the milk in a medium saucepan to just below boiling over
medium-high heat. Slowly pour in polenta while whisking vigorously.
Reduce heat to medium and continue whisking steadily for about 10
minutes until grits are quite thick and fluffy. Remove from heat
and whisk in 2 tbsp. butter. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together all remaining ingredients.
Incorporate molasses mixture completely into polenta, whisking
continuously until well-integrated. Pour mixture into a greased
souffle dish that will go into the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes,
rotating at the 40-minute mark. Promptly remove from oven at end of
cooking time and allow to cool. Don’t be upset if the center caves
in a little, this is inevitable. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream
and chocolate syrup.